The manager of multiple Airbnbs in the area said she’s “remaining optimistic” despite Normal’s coming ban on short-term rental listings in certain neighborhoods – a ban that she thinks is an overcorrection.
The Normal Town Council banned new short-term rentals [STRs], such as Airbnb and Vrbo, and will require owners of existing STRs to convert them to long-term rentals within five years. That’s aimed in part at addressing noise, parking and other complaints that may result from allowing what’s essentially a business in a single-family neighborhood.
“As it stands today, I think it’s an overcorrection,” said Marie Poundstone, who manages four STRs in the area under the name Bloomington Retreats, including one in Normal. “I am hoping they’re going to look through data and try to figure out a better option.”
Poundstone began her journey with STRs back in 2018, when she and her partner, Andy, stumbled across a local house on its last legs.
“We saw this opportunity with a house that was going to be demolished, and we said, ‘What if we made this like a totally different experience?” Poundstone said. “We saved the daylights out of it, really. Blood, sweat and tears, and a lot of passion went into it.”
That house became what Marie and Andy lovingly called “The Arcade House,” which bears a more retro decor aesthetic. It’s drawn around 700 stays.
For Poundstone, the appeal of STRs goes beyond home renovation. The Illinois State University alum said the guest experience is what makes hosting meaningful.
“Experiences are something that we all strive for to live a fulfilled life,” Poundstone said. “So, when you take that out and put people in hotels that are cookie-cutters, you don’t get that same experience with your friends and family.”
One of Poundstone’s listings is in a single-family neighborhood in Normal, meaning it would be impacted by the town’s coming ban. Most of the stays in the home are four to six people, averaging four days, Poundstone said. They “primarily host small families, traveling professionals, and out-of-town visitors who are in the area for events, work, or visiting ISU.”
Poundstone said the ban is an overly broad solution to a narrow problem. And she questions why the town council chose to exempt owner-occupied rentals from its ban – but not listings like hers. She said she's a very hands-on, responsible owner.
“To me, those are both businesses, and it seems like a little bit of a double standard,” she said.
Poundstone hopes for an opportunity to talk more with town officials about further changes.
“There can be things that they take into consideration like [limiting] the number of Airbnbs, or the ones that are problematic, or limit it to [owners] that are just in town,” she said.
